


To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This

by BeautifulUnseen



Category: Glee
Genre: 36 questions, A little angst told in stories, Alternate Universe, Blind Date, But mostly fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulUnseen/pseuds/BeautifulUnseen
Summary: Two strangers looking for romance. Three dates. Thirty-six questions designed to make people fall in love.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 49
Kudos: 102





	1. Set I

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again, everyone. I want to take a quick moment to recognize the fact that I know there is another 36 questions Klaine fic out there that was still in progress when I saw a post for it. I contacted that author who gave me their blessing to share this story anyway! I began writing this over a year ago, and I have not read the other story, so any similarities are purely coincidental.
> 
> With that said, please enjoy my newest fic. I'll be posting an update on tumblr every day until it's finished!
> 
> Also, huge thanks to darrenismydarcy for making it better and cheering me on when I was stuck.

**Prologue: Blind Date**

Blaine Anderson straightened his blue and white checkered bow tie with a deep breath and opened the door to his first first date in six years.

A hostess showed him to the table; despite being fifteen minutes early, his date had already arrived. Blaine had initially been reluctant to allow his overeager mother to set him up with her co-worker's stepson, especially when she told him the intention was for them to answer the "36 Questions to Make You Fall In Love With Anyone" that they had read about in one of their favorite magazines on their lunch break one day. He had tried the excuse that he wasn't ready to date yet, but his mother knew him better than anyone, and she knew he was ready to move on and find someone to share his life with.

Seeing his date awaiting him at a cozy, quiet corner booth, dressed to kill and looking unbelievably gorgeous for someone who happened to be a single gay man Blaine's age living in Ohio, Blaine knew he had been right to finally give in to his mother's meddling.

His hand nervously twitched toward his bow tie again, but he forced himself to hold it out instead.

"Hi, I'm Blaine. You must be my date."

The handsome stranger shook his hand with a shy strength. "My name is Kurt. It's nice to meet you."

The way Kurt's eyes swept over Blaine twice — once quickly and a second time with more intention — did not escape his notice, causing a slight blush to color his cheeks.

"So our mothers seem to be good friends," Blaine said, sliding into the booth gracefully but excitedly.

"Yes, Carole talks nonstop about your mom. I've only been back in Ohio for three weeks and they just couldn't resist getting us together at the earliest opportunity," Kurt laughed.

Blaine let Kurt's laugh float through the air, taking a moment to appreciate the melodic sound before speaking.

"See, I've been back for about three months already, so I'm sure my mom was the instigator in this situation."

Kurt seemed unable to resist the contagiousness of Blaine's smile. He watched him for a moment longer before reaching for a drink menu.

"I believe we have a task to complete this evening. One that might be a little easier with a drink in hand. Choose something for me, and I'll choose one for you. No telling if you like it or not. At the end of our 36 questions, we'll do it again and see if we get any better at it."

"Sounds fun," Blaine said, thoughtfully poring over the menu as the waitress approached to take their drink order.

"He'll have a whiskey sour."

"And he'll have the peach sangria."

The waitress disappeared and Kurt and Blaine looked at each other trying not to let their faces give anything away.

The corner of Kurt's lip twitched up and Blaine dissolved into laughter, Kurt following right behind.

The waitress returned quickly with their drinks from the bar and the men picked up their glasses, clinking them together.

"To meddling moms."

"To meddling moms," Blaine echoed, sipping on his scarily accurate drink.

Sighing happily at how things were going so far, Blaine pulled out a piece of paper and set it on the table in front of himself.

"It's time to answer some questions."

**One: Dinner Guest**

"Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?" Blaine looked up at Kurt expectantly.

"Am I allowed to say I would have dinner with myself from ten years ago? Teenage me would have loved to know that things really do get better." Kurt sipped his sangria. "What about you?"

"I would have dinner with the man my ex left me for. I want to know what it was that made Luke fall in love with him. I want to know that they can make each other happy." He swirled his drink, staring at the small eddy it created.

"Wow," Kurt set his drink down and turned his shoulders toward Blaine. "Jumping right into the real stuff."

Blaine did not realize that he had automatically mimicked Kurt's body language. "You're one to talk. What was life like for sixteen year old Kurt?" He felt himself genuinely wanting to know Kurt's story.

Kurt grimaced at the memory. "It was rough. I had just come out, and while I had friends and a dad who supported me faithfully, there were plenty of people who didn't. I was dying to just be myself, to be in a place and with people who accepted me for who I was. I didn't have any gay friends until college. It would have helped to have someone to look up to, someone to share my hopes and fears with, but I had no one. Not anyone who really understood. If I had been able to have dinner with adult me, I could have seen that it was possible to get out, to achieve my dreams. My life is far, far from perfect. But it would have given sixteen year old Kurt Hummel some hope."

"Incredible. I wish we had known each other in high school. I know I really could have used someone like you to confide in," Blaine said sincerely, resting his chin in his hand and watching Kurt with earnest hazel eyes.

Kurt smiled and looked down at his hands, cheeks pinkening. "It's never too late, I guess."

Kurt hadn't dated much in the past year or so, having been rejected and discouraged time after time. He tended to avoid putting himself in situations where it could happen again, but he was lonely. Kurt was glad that he'd taken the risk of going out with Blaine, who was turning out to be everything Kurt could have hoped for. He peeked back up at him, having regained some confidence in the silence. "So tell me about your answer. You'd really want to have dinner with your ex's new boyfriend?"

Blaine laughed self-deprecatingly. "Call me a masochist, but yes. It just…the breakup completely blindsided me. Things were amazing for six years, and then all of a sudden there was someone else. I need to know that it was worth my pain, that he and Luke are happy. Because if they aren't, and it was all for nothing…" Blaine trailed off with a shrug, though he felt anything but indifferent about it.

Kurt regarded him with big eyes and an awed, yet sad smile. "I don't know anyone else who would give that answer. You're very selfless."

"Ah, you've already figured out my fatal flaw."

"I would hate for you to figure out mine.," Kurt joked, but with a tone that made Blaine think there was some truth to it.

Blaine grinned and looked back down at the paper on the table. "I'm working on it. Question two."

**Two: Famous**

"Would you—" Kurt began to ask, but was interrupted by the waitress wanting to take their orders. They both ordered the special without asking what it was. It was a tradition Kurt and his father had, and he was thrilled to see Blaine playing along.

Kurt cleared his throat as the waitress walked away and read the question again. "Would you like to be famous? In what way?"

"Growing up, I wanted to be a famous musician. In college I actually double majored in music and education," Blaine laughed. "Now, though, I'm not sure I'd want to be famous for anything. If I was, I'd want it to be for changing the world for the better somehow. Curing a disease or ending poverty or something like that."

Kurt shook his head slowly. He had only known Blaine for a little less than an hour, but he already knew that response was so _Blaine._

"What are you shaking your head for?" Blaine asked, biting his lip timidly, afraid he'd said something wrong already.

"I'm having a difficult time believing that you're real. It's not every day a guy meets someone like you, Blaine."

"What does that mean?" he chewed harder on his lower lip.

Kurt, sensing his nerves, briefly rested a hand on Blaine's bicep. He could feel the strength of the muscle through his shirt and he added that to his mental inventory of reasons why Blaine was shaping up to be perfect. "It's a good thing, I promise."

That seemed to appease Blaine momentarily, leaning into Kurt's touch. "Would you want to be famous?" he asked.

"I had my fifteen minutes of fame, but I'm done with that for now."

"You're famous and you're just now telling me about it? Spill!"

Blaine's eyes were wide with curiosity and wonder, and Kurt chuckled and took another sip of his drink before answering

"Minorly famous. I was a swing on Broadway for a year, then I toured with a couple of national productions for a few years. I just finished my last tour — _Dirty Dancing_ — and I'm hanging up my hat indefinitely."

"Stop it! I had no idea you were a performer! Why did you decide to retire?"

"It wasn't fulfilling any longer. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to sing and dance and act every night, but it gets exhausting, never being in the same place, unable to settle down. It wasn't my dream anymore. Not without—" he cut himself off.

"Not without…" Blaine repeated with a question in his voice.

Kurt took in the open and trusting vibe Blaine gave off, and decided to just let it all out for the first time in his life. "Not without someone to share it with."

Blaine nodded knowingly. He could read the loneliness in Kurt's eyes and wondered how long he'd been by himself.

"It feels very superficial to say that I've been semi-famous for acting on stage when you said you want to be saving lives."

"Don't read too much into it. I mean, what I wanted first was to be a pop star. Like, the poppiest of pop stars. I wanted to collab with Katy Perry and open for Maroon Five."

Kurt threw his head back in laughter. "Okay, I feel a little bit better about my goals now."

"Good. Next question?"

**Three: Phone Call**

Only when the basket of bread and plate of oil and herbs were brought to their table, did Kurt and Blaine realize how close they were leaning in toward each other. They straightened out, Kurt with a coy little giggle. It was so easy to become wrapped up in what Blaine was saying, and their bodies seemed to gravitate toward each other. Kurt hadn't ever really had a physical connection with anyone before, so even the simple way they mirrored each other was a thrill for him.

Ignoring the bread, Blaine proceeded with the next question.

"Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?" He paused, then laughed. "That's a silly question."

"I know!" Kurt propped his head up on his elbow. "Who _doesn't_ rehearse what they're going to say?"

"I was going to say the opposite! You really rehearse your phone calls before they happen?" Blaine's grin was dazzling, and where before, Kurt may have been self conscious about his answer, he now wanted to open up completely.

"I'm an _acteur_ , Blaine, my lines have to be perfect. Even my lines in real life. I'm used to things being scripted."

"I prefer to go off script. Speak from the heart. Plus, you can never predict what someone else is going to say, or how they might astonish you." His gaze was deep into Kurt's eyes.

"Yeah…" Kurt cleared his throat. "I'm learning that." He grabbed a piece of bread from the table and ungracefully stuffed it in his mouth to keep himself from saying something stupid.

"So admit it, Kurt," Blaine started, and _oh,_ Kurt loved the way his name sounded coming out of the other man's mouth. "Did you rehearse what you would say here tonight?"

Kurt smiled and blushed, but owned up to it. "Absolutely."

"Even the choosing each other's drink part?" Kurt nodded. "Damn. I was impressed with how easily you came up with that one. Guess the illusion is shattered."

Kurt nudged Blaine playfully with his elbow. "Hey now, don't make fun of my excessive need for control! I couldn't help but to google the questions ahead of time to prepare!"

Blaine gasped in mock horror. "You read the questions ahead of time? I suddenly feel woefully unprepared for this date. Your answers are going to be so much more polished than mine."

"Don't worry, Blaine, your answers so far are perfect."

**Four: Perfect**

"And speaking of perfect, that brings us to our next question. What would constitute a 'perfect' day for you?"

Blaine drummed his fingers on the table while he thought about how to answer. "My perfect day would involve waking up without an alarm, having some 'me time,' spending the day doing fun things with my kids and husband, and ending the night on a romantic date with the man I love."

Kurt hummed in approval, but then cocked his head to the side. "For the record, you don't have a husband or kids, do you?"

Blaine shook his head sadly. "No, but that would have made this date pretty awkward."

Kurt's laugh tinkled through the air between them. "What would your 'me time' consist of?"

"Reading—I love the classics, playing the piano, and my guilty and expensive pleasure, getting a pedicure."

"Oh that sounds amazing. Maybe we should do set two of our questions over a mani/pedi instead of dinner."

"Are you saying you'd like to proceed with set two? We aren't even on question five yet!"

Kurt smirked. "Something tells me I won't be finished getting to know you after tonight. Probably because of the way you have phone conversations all willy nilly without any practice whatsoever."

"I always knew that was one of my best traits!" Blaine joked.

Another moment passed where the two just smiled at each other. Kurt was very easy on the eyes; Blaine couldn't help himself.

"My perfect day would also involve waking up with no alarm to a kitchen stocked with the most amazing ingredients and I would bake with my dad, just like we used to do when I was a kid. I'd want to go to a fashion show with my girlfriends, and I suppose my day would end with the person I love, too, assuming that there will be someone."

"Tell me...how is it that someone like you hasn't already found your one great love?"

Kurt felt a blush color his cheeks. "A series of unfortunate dates, really, where I was always 'too.'"

"You were 'too?' What do you mean?"

Kurt shrugged. "Every guy I've been out with has found a reason to break things off or to not go out again, and it's always because I'm 'too much' of something. Too feminine, too driven, too bitchy," he laughed humorlessly at that one. "So now I hardly go out anymore because I'm not convinced it's worth it."

"Do you think it's been worth it so far tonight?"

Blaine really liked to cut to the chase. Kurt kind of really admired his honesty and openness.

"Yeah, I think it has."

Their moment was interrupted by their dishes of ratatouille arriving, causing Blaine to scoot away from Kurt once again, putting an appropriate distance between them and immediately missing the closeness. He couldn't remember the last time he'd made such a strong connection with someone so instantly, and it was exhilarating.

"Thank you," Blaine said politely to the waitress. He unfolded his napkin, placing it in his lap, then turned to Kurt and wished him a "bon appetit!"

**Five: Sing**

The food was surprisingly good for a restaurant within 50 miles of Lima. Blaine cleared his plate in record time, eliciting a strange yet awed look from Kurt. Blaine just shrugged.

"What? I'm a fast eater!"

Kurt proceeded to cut his food into the smallest pieces and make a show out of eating at a snail's pace, appreciating how he could be getting along so well with Blaine when they were so different in some respects.

"Well then, ask the next question while I finish."

Blaine complied with a smirk. "Oh, this one isn't really fair for you. So easy. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?"

Kurt snorted. "You're right. Throw away question. The last time I sang to myself was in the car on the way here, and the last time I sang for someone else was a month ago when I was on stage."

Blaine shook his head. "That's not what the question asked. It wanted to know the last time you sang _to_ someone, not _for_ someone."

"That's much harder." Kurt frowned in concentration and Blaine nodded his agreement. "This is going to sound really lame, probably…"

He hesitated before continuing, but Blaine was looking at him with those earnest hazel eyes that sought to know him without judgment and he realized how much he wanted it.

"My answer is still the same, that it was on stage a month ago, but there was one particular love song in the show that I sort of dedicated to someone every night."

Blaine tried to maintain a neutral face, but Kurt could see the slight disappointment behind the closed-lipped smile.

"Who did you sing to? And how is that lame?"

Kurt wrinkled his nose adorably and flushed in embarrassment. "I dedicated the song to my future husband, whoever and wherever he may be."

Blaine felt an unexpected warmth spreading through his chest. "That's not lame at all, actually," he said quietly, drawing a smile out of Kurt.

"What's your answer?" Kurt took one last bite of his food and pushed his plate away.

"I was hoping you'd forget to ask. Can I take a pass?"

Blaine looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Kurt placed a hand over his, the gesture meant to comfort. "Of course. But you only get one," Kurt attempted to joke. "Seriously, though, Blaine. I would love to get to know you, but you don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable with."

The tension Blaine had held in his shoulders melted away with Kurt's words, and he gave Kurt's hand a squeeze. Then with a deep breath, he made up his mind.

"Thank you. I'll answer, but if you don't mind, please don't ask me to elaborate."

"Of course."

Kurt could see the pain in Blaine's face as he spoke, and his hand remained a solid and supportive presence in Blaine's.

"The last time I sang to someone else was to my—to the—it was about six months ago. The last time I sang to myself was shortly afterward." He met Kurt's eyes nervously, like he expected him to poke and prod until he received the answer that was so obviously plaguing Blaine. But of course he only nodded in acceptance and looked to the paper for the next question.

Blaine exhaled, in amazement of how at ease Kurt made him feel. He looked down at the table where Kurt's thumb was tracing lines on his skin. Blaine wouldn't have released his hand if the building was on fire.

**Six: Ninety**

Their joined hands sitting atop the booth bench in the small (and increasingly smaller) space between them gave Kurt a sense of happiness he had not known in a while.

"All right, Blaine. Question six. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?"

"Wow. That's tough. I think I'd have to say mind."

"Why is that?" Kurt asked out of curiosity. The ban on asking Blaine to elaborate had ended with the last question, he assumed.

"I've never been particularly proud of my body and the shape I'm in," he started, and Kurt had to bite back a _you should be!_ "But even so, what good is a young body without a sharp mind? I'd so much rather be limited to bed or a chair and be able to talk to my grandchildren and tell them stories about their parents growing up than I would be able to run around with them but not be able to remember their names."

The way Blaine spoke about children and grandchildren in his future made Kurt's fingertips tingly.

"I agree. I would rather retain my mind versus my body. While I will immodestly admit to loving the way I look, I've always valued my intellect and wit over all else."

"Well, I guess you'll be my only 90 year old friend in the nursing home who can keep up with me."

Kurt laughed, but felt something stir at the idea of still knowing Blaine when he's 90, and before he could stop himself, he was talking again.

"By the way, you should absolutely be proud of the way you look, Blaine."

The sincerity in the words was heavy and Blaine, who had always had body image issues, desperately needed to deflect. He decided to lighten the mood while keeping the flirtatious tone Kurt had set.

"Well your pride in your appearance is severely misplaced. You look horrible unless you're into that perfect, well put together, flawless thing."

Kurt bumped Blaine's shoulder with his and a half hearted "Stop it!"

"Seriously, though, I try to make a habit of saying what's on my mind when it's something complimentary about someone. I don't consider myself a shallow person in general, but when I walked in and saw that the blind date my mother had set me up with was someone that looked like you, I was quite a happy boy."

Kurt couldn't quite articulate that he, too, had been happy to see how attractive Blaine was, or that now, after only six questions, he was, in fact, the happiest.

**Seven: Death**

"Okay, this one is super fun," Blaine said excitedly. "Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?"

"Oh, easy. Murder."

Blaine snorted indelicately in surprise. "Secretly a member of the mafia? Because I have to say I'm not really interested in joining the mob."

"Not quite, though that would definitely be more exciting. No, I have this tendency to act out of spite toward people who have wronged me or someone I love. It's not my most attractive quality, I'll admit, but I'll only do it if the person has done something unforgivable."

Blaine looked amused, trying to figure out how the sweet Kurt sitting next to him could possibly be spiteful.

"What kinds of things have you done that might warrant revenge murder?"

"A woman I was auditioning with called me some unfavorable names in front of the current cast, so I may have sent an anonymous letter to the director citing 'evidence' that she was a drug dealer. Another time, one of my classmates tried to pass off a play I had written as his own, so I spread word around campus that he had a number of sexually transmitted infections. There was also a man who attempted suing my father's mechanic shop—"

"I get it, Kurt," Blaine cut him off with wide eyes, equal parts impressed and surprised. "Note to self, don't get on your bad side."

"I don't think you have to worry about that."

Blaine smiled. "I'll probably die in some incident where I've bitten off more than I could chew. I have this thing about always accepting dares. I know it's ridiculous, but it's like when someone dares me to do something, every cell in my body wants to prove that I can do it. I can't explain it."

"Oh boy," Kurt said with a laugh. "What kinds of things have you done on a dare?"

"All kinds of stupid stuff. I swam a mile across a lake, jumped off a cliff into the ocean, ate some mystery meat that had been in the fridge for two weeks. Seriously. It's how I'll die. No doubt about it."

"God, Blaine, remind me never to bet you that you won't do something."

"And remind me never to cross you."

"Oh my god, what if we're the cause of the other's death? I dare you to do something that almost gets you killed, you murder me in revenge, and then you die of complications from your near death."

"Let's make a pact right now. You don't dare me, and I won't murder you. It's as simple as that."

"Yeah," Kurt grinned. "Simple."

**Eight: Common**

"Would either of you like dessert?" the waitress asked, jerking them both out of the bubble they'd been in. Blaine had actually forgotten they were in public for a few minutes, allowing himself to be completely lost in conversation with Kurt.

"I'll have the blueberry strudel," Kurt told her.

"Can I please have a strawberry milkshake?" Blaine asked.

"Absolutely. I'll be right back with those."

Kurt stifled a giggle. "A milkshake? I'm on a date with a child!"

"Don't mock the process, Kurt, this is how I keep my mind young!" Blaine leaned back against the back of the booth and looked at Kurt. "Ready for question eight?"

"Why do you have an evil glint in your eyes?" Kurt asked suspiciously.

"Oops. I've never been great at hiding my emotions."

"So you're feeling evil?"

"I'm not sure evil is the right word, but more so like the playing field is evened...there's no way you could have rehearsed this question ahead of time!"

Kurt rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine. Put me on the spot. Watch me flail around looking for the right thing to say."

"Just speak from your heart, Kurt," Blaine winked. "Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common."

"Oh, _this_ question. I mean, I did come up with some fallback answers just in case I learned nothing about you...we're both from Ohio, we're both gay, we both have a parent who wants to mess around in our love lives…"

"Cheater!" Blaine cried with mock indignation. "Put those horrible answers away and give me something real. I can assume by now that you've learned a few real things we have in common?"

"Okay, I surrender." Kurt threw his hands up. "We clearly both appreciate fashion," he eyed Blaine's blazer, neat dress shirt, and bowtie.

Blaine nodded, a satisfied smile on his face at Kurt taking the question seriously.

"It seems like we've both had some awfully rough patches in our lives, but we're both here making the best of what we have in front of us."

"Which is no hardship," Blaine jested before his face settled into a solemn expression. "But yes, you're right. I know I've had to overcome a lot to get here. Sometimes I didn't know how I'd ever move forward. But I'm glad I did."

Kurt rested his hand on Blaine's knee briefly. "Which brings me to the last thing. I think we're both having a really great time tonight?" His intonation rose at the end of the statement, turning it to a question, which was confirmed immediately.

"We are."

Another moment passed with the two men simply looking admiringly at each other.

"Okay, my turn!" Blaine said softly. "This one is kind of a giveaway on your part, but we both love broadway shows and music."

"Obviously."

"It seems like we're both family oriented?" Blaine half-stated, half-asked, just as Kurt had done a minute before. He was the most anxious he had been all evening as he looked to Kurt for his response. Family and children were so important to Blaine, and things were going so well with Kurt that he would hate to find out that Kurt wasn't as invested in building a family as he was.

His fears soon vanished as Kurt smiled broadly and said "very much so."

Blaine breathed deeply before giving his last commonality. "Third, I think we're both very lonely."

Kurt took his hand once again and said with hope, "But hopefully not much longer?"

Stars and fireworks exploded in Blaine's chest as he squeezed back. "Definitely not."

**Nine: Grateful**

Kurt really could not believe what Carole had done for him. She and Burt had always worried about Kurt and his perpetual bachelorhood, and he had to admit that he was too. Kurt would not ever refute that he had ridiculously high standards, but it still seemed improbable that he had not found anyone worthy of dating him long-term. He knew he had fallen into a funk on the last few months of his last tour, turning down opportunities to spend time with his cast mates and adopting a less than sunny outlook on life, and though they tried to hide it, he could tell it concerned his parents.

He had grudgingly agreed when Carole told him about the opportunity for a blind date with Blaine, but he could not have been happier that he followed through. Blaine was everything he had been missing in his life. Even if they only ended up as good friends, Kurt knew his life would be richer for knowing him.

Reading the next question, he snorted a laugh. "For what in your life do you feel most grateful?"

"What's funny?"

Kurt pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No way. You first."

"A few months ago, I never thought I would say this, but I'm grateful for new opportunities and fresh starts. Just when it seems like you'll never be happy again, life presents you with something exciting that's full of promise. And I'm learning to be thankful for that."

"That's great, Blaine," Kurt gushed.

"Now what made you laugh when you saw the question?"

"I had _just_ been thinking about how thankful I was for Carole setting us up and that you are the one I get to share this with."

Blaine's cheeks pinkened as he peered down at the table. "I'm glad for that too."

"Overall in my life, though, I'm grateful for my dad. He's my best friend. He has made me believe in myself countless times when I was ready to give up, and he taught me to be the man I am today. I'd be nowhere without him. Not to mention he's the only reason I know anything about cars and sports. But while he may have asked me to watch football with him a time or two, he'd always gladly pick up an issue of _Vogue_ to learn more about my interests."

"He sounds amazing. I hope to meet him someday."

Kurt could not help but to wish for the same thing.

**Ten: Raised**

Question ten was answered between (and during) bites of dessert.

"If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?" Blaine asked, a droplet of milkshake dripping out of his mouth. "Oops!"

"I definitely took you for a perfect etiquette kind of guy. My mistake, apparently."

"Oh hush! I may talk with my mouth full, but have you seen me put these elbows on the table even once? No, you haven't. Because I am proper."

"Whatever you say," Kurt laughed.

"So what would it be? What would you change about the way you were raised?"

"My dad really did an amazing job when I was growing up, and I'm not sure I'd change anything about that, but…"

"But what?" Blaine could sense Kurt's hesitation and felt that things were about to take a shift toward the heavy again. He leaned in, hoping that his proximity would soothe whatever worries Kurt was feeling.

"But if I could change anything about the way I was raised, I would choose to have been brought up by two parents instead of one." His fingers were clutched tightly around the fork that had a forgotten bite of strudel stabbed between the tines. Blaine placed his hand over Kurt's and eased his grasp, pulling Kurt's hand into his lap to hold onto it.

"Me too," Blaine confessed in a voice barely above a whisper.

"My mom was amazing. And Carole has been a perfect stepmother. But my mom passed when I was in grade school and Carole didn't come into our lives until I was in high school. The years between without a mother figure were hard on both me and my dad, especially during the time I was coming to terms with my sexuality. Like I said, Dad did the absolute best he could and I love him more than anything, we just…"

"I get it, Kurt."

Kurt raised his eyes from their joined hands and asked Blaine to tell him more with a look.

"My parents separated shortly after I came out. I don't think that it was the cause of their divorce, but as a fourteen year old, it's hard not to blame yourself one way or another. So it was just my mom and myself for most of high school. Like your dad, she was amazing and did the best she could, I just wish I'd had a strong, loving adult male to look up to and guide me during those years. I still do. That's why I'm so envious of your relationship with your dad."

"Do you keep in touch with him?"

"He's written me exactly two emails in the last twelve years. One a year after he moved out, and one while I was in college."

"Did you write back?"

"I've written him every month since he left."

Kurt bowed his head and flexed his fingers around Blaine's. "It's awful losing a parent, isn't it?"

"Is it horrible to feel like he's dead when you've actually lost your mom?"

"Not at all. I'm sure many of the emotions are similar. And one thing I bet we have in common is that we love differently than before. I know I'm more careful about giving away my heart, but when I do, I really do."

"And I give my love whenever I can. I never want to miss an opportunity."

Kurt ran his hand up Blaine's arm and gave his shoulders a quick squeeze. "I don't think you will."

**Eleven: Story**

The desserts were eaten and plates were cleared, and after a heated back-and-forth, Kurt had paid the bill.

"Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible."

"Let me know when you think I've gone for four minutes."

"Do you even know me at all yet?" Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled up the timer app on his phone. "Talk until the timer goes off."

"What—"

"Starting now."

"I was born 26 years ago. I have an older brother by nine years—Cooper—who is an actor out in LA. I always did well in school—I was actually valedictorian of my class, but as I've mentioned, I tend to be a little reckless at times. I broke six bones before the time I was ten, three of them being Cooper's fault. I came out right after I turned fourteen, and though I'd always been bullied for being small and having different interests than the other kids, it really took off. I started acting out, too, since my home life wasn't the greatest. My freshman year of high school I took a boy to a school dance and we were attacked by a few classmates. His injuries were minor but I added to my broken bone collection, and of course, my spirit was crushed. My parents were pretty well off, so instead of sending me back to public school, they enrolled me in Dalton Academy. There was a zero-tolerance policy there and I joined the show choir, The Warblers, where I made lifelong friends. I dated a couple guys from school during that time, but my heart was set on moving after graduation, and I was a big dreamer. I wanted to either go to New York or Los Angeles, and eventually New York won out because I didn't think I could stand being any closer to Cooper than across the country. I studied music and education and I started a small after school music program in one of the nearby schools. I met Luke my sophomore year. He was a year older, majoring in piano performance. We met through a mutual friend and hit it off right away, and were living together by the beginning of my junior year. We had discussed getting married, but had bigger plans for our money. As I've mentioned, things were going well when he met Dante, and I came home one day to find Luke in our living room waiting to tell me that he'd fallen in love with someone else. I stayed in New York for a couple more months to finish out the school year, but eventually the memories were so suffocating, and the loss of not only Luke, but—" the timer went off.

Kurt jerked into a straighter posture, remembering that they were still in a crowded restaurant. He jabbed at his phone screen to stop the beeping.

"Guess that's a story for another time, then," Blaine said sadly, but Kurt caught a glimpse of relief on his face.

Resetting the timer, Kurt launched into his tale.

"I was born an only child and remained so until my dad married Carole and Finn became my stepbrother. Because of that, I was quiet and careful, so I can safely say that I've never broken any bones. I was always bullied in school as well, for a whole slew of reasons, but it always boiled down to the fact that my being different scared some of the other kids. The difference between the two of us is that I was never able to get out of my toxic environment until college. I mentioned that I never had anyone gay my age or slightly older to look up to, and it's true, but I didn't actually know _anyone_ gay except for two girls in my class. I was slammed into lockers and thrown into dumpsters daily until I moved to New York. I was in the show choir at McKinley, so I'm surprised we never competed against each other. Or if we did, I don't remember because it's been almost a decade…

"I always knew I wanted to be a performer, so my best friend Rachel and I applied to NYADA and although I wasn't accepted until the following semester, we moved out to New York together to live out that dream. She made it first, starring in her first Broadway show when we were still in school. It took me longer, but I eventually landed a role as a swing, and my career took off from there. I started dating when I got to NYADA since this whole new world of gay boys and love opportunities opened up to me, but every short lived relationship ended with me not being what the other guy was looking for. Eventually my standards rose and rose until I rarely made it through the entire first date without leaving for an 'emergency…'

"When I was in school, my stepbrother Finn died unexpectedly, shortly after my father had recovered from prostate cancer. It was like that expression 'when it rains, it pours' wasn't even enough to begin describing what was happening. But right after I came back to New York I landed my first acting gig, then I graduated and life became crazy when I started touring, and I didn't really stop for years. So here I am, ready to settle down at the ripe old age of twenty-seven. Though I'd love for the location of my settlement to be anywhere but Ohio."

"I hear you," Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Wow, do I have great timing, or what?" Kurt said as the timer counted down the last few seconds and beeped.

"Thank you for sharing all of that with me," Blaine said sincerely.

Kurt shrugged. "You're very easy to talk to. I could be thanking you for the same thing."

"It was my pleasure opening up to you."

**Twelve: Ability**

"All right, we're getting the side eye from our waitress. We should probably finish up the last question in this set so we can leave her to seat another couple here."

"It's all you," Kurt gestured to the question sheet.

"If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?"

"I would love to have the ability to pause time. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, and sometimes, I just want to stay in a moment a little while longer."

"I know what you mean," Blaine said softly. "I'd really like to be a good artist. I may be musical, but I can't draw a stick person to save my life. And like you said, sometimes there are moments I'd like to capture forever."

"That's really sweet, Blaine."

"I try," he joked.

"So that's the end of the first set of questions. They're supposed to increase in intimacy as the sets go on, but we got pretty personal tonight. Should I bring my social security card and medical records next time?"

"Are you saying you want to continue with set two?"

"Do you?"

"Absolutely! I can't wait to learn more about you."

"I feel the same. Let's do it then!"

"Is it too needy to say I want to continue this tomorrow?"

Kurt shook his head as he stood up from the booth and followed Blaine out to their cars.

"Not at all. But sadly, I'm leaving tomorrow morning to go back to New York for a couple days to move the rest of my things to storage so I can rent out my apartment."

"Oh," Blaine said, trying not to show the extent of his disappointment.

"I'll be back by Thursday. Will you be available Friday morning to meet up for a coffee date?"

Blaine's face lit up. "Let's plan on it. The Lima Bean?"

"Is there anywhere else?" Kurt joked.

"I'll see you then. Tonight was really great, Kurt. It was just what I needed," Blaine said as he watched Kurt lean against the door of his car, looking like a model.

"For me, too. Would it be all right if I hugged you before we go?" Kurt asked, biting his lip. He'd never initiated physical contact before, especially not for the first time. But something about Blaine made him want to be touching in some way.

In lieu of a verbal response, Blaine tugged Kurt into his arms and they shared a long hug that was tight in just the right ways.

"I'll see you at nine on Friday morning?" Blaine asked in Kurt's ear, refusing to let go just yet.

Kurt sighed and reluctantly pulled back. "I'll see you then. Have a good night, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Kurt" Blaine replied.

Then both men went their separate ways, replaying the best moments of the night and daydreaming about their next date. It was no surprise that they both thanked their parents profusely before going to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thirteen: Future**

The engine of Kurt's car quieted as he turned it off outside the Lima Bean, deciding to head inside even though he was forty minutes early.

Blaine hadn't judged him so far, so he assumed he was safe arriving way too early and potentially coming off as a little overeager.

He had spent his entire trip to NYC wishing he could see Blaine again sooner, and when he arrived home the evening before, he had a difficult time sleeping due to the excited anticipation. It was unusual for someone to make Kurt feel so strongly, and perhaps it was the questions working their magic, but there was just something about Blaine that spoke to a previously untouched part of his soul.

Approaching the entrance to the café, Kurt held the door open for the person he could hear coming up behind him.

"Hey, Kurt."

Just the sound of Blaine's voice made his jitters disappear. He spun around to find his date right in front of him and wow, he looked phenomenal. "Blaine! Hi!"

"It seems I'm not the only one who couldn't wait until nine to get here," Blaine said with an elbow to Kurt's arm as he passed through the held door into the coffee shop.

There was no line at the counter, so they quickly placed their orders (Blaine insisting it was his turn to pay), and waited while catching up on the few days they had been apart before settling in at a cozy corner table.

"I can't believe you ordered a large mocha frappé with extra whipped cream and sprinkles," Blaine said, eyeing Kurt's drink.

"Says Mr. Strawberry Milkshake."

"Fair," Blaine laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'll stop making fun of your drink if you let me have some whipped cream."

"Okay," Kurt acquiesced, reaching for his straw to give Blaine a scoop. Before he could, though, Blaine was leaning across the table and dipping his index finger into the swirl of white atop Kurt's frappé.

" _Blaine!_ " Kurt tried his best to sound horrified, but he was laughing too hard.

Blaine popped the sugary substance in his mouth and grinned. "So, shall we begin round two?"

Kurt cleared his throat and pulled the paper out of his pocket. "If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?"

Blaine stirred his drink as he thought.

"I would want to know if I'll ever have another real chance at happiness."

"Man, you sure know how to start things off! Again! You really think you won't?"

"For a long time it seemed like my only shot was gone. Now I'm starting to see that I might have been wrong."

"Of course you're wrong!" Kurt interjected.

Blaine appreciated Kurt's adamance. "Thank you. What would you want to know about your life?"

"At this point, I don't think I would want to know anything about the future. I strongly believe that our decisions forge our path, so the crystal ball could easily be wrong."

"You're much wiser than me," Blaine said.

"Well I _am_ a year older."

Blaine snatched the paper out of Kurt's hands. "Okay, then. You answer the next one first. Age before beauty, after all."

**Fourteen: Dream**

"Question fourteen. Is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?" Blaine read.

"Oh there are so many. I have a bucket list and I've only crossed off a couple of items. But one of my biggest dreams is to have my designs featured in a fashion show." Kurt's eyes gleamed as he spoke about it. "Nothing big or anything, just to see my work on a runway would be so great."

"Why haven't you done it yet? Your designs are amazing."

Kurt gave him a hard look. "Blaine. You've never even seen any of my pieces."

"Well no, but _you're_ amazingand you are very realistic about yourself, so I believe you when you say they're good."

Blaine's blind faith in him made Kurt's stomach churn in a good way.

"Thank you. They are good." They both laughed lightly. "I haven't ever had any real time to devote to making clothes since college. If I really put my mind to it, I'm sure it's something I could accomplish, even if it means putting together a fashion show for myself."

"I think you should. Put your mind to it, that is," Blaine clarified.

"Maybe I will." Kurt's smile was stunning. "What's your answer?"

Blaine sighed, fiddling with his coffee cup. "Do you want the hard answer or the easy one?"

"If you're ready to give it, the hard answer."

Blaine took his time taking another sip of coffee and setting the cup down carefully. When he finally spoke, his voice was so quiet that Kurt had to strain to hear it.

"I have always dreamed of being a father."

When he didn't continue, Kurt prompted him with an "...and?"

"And…" he stared at Kurt, searching for something unknown. "No, you're right," he broke away from the stare. "I'm not ready for the hard answer."

But then Kurt ran unbelievably soft fingers along the back of his hand and asked gently for the easy answer instead, and he knew he wanted to share everything with him, no matter how difficult.

"Don't, Blaine. I want you to be completely comfortable."

"I am, with you," he said, making Kurt blush down to his chest. "I want to tell you. Just give me a second."

Kurt sat patiently, scooting his chair closer to Blaine's so their knees rested against each other.

"Luke and I had talked about adoption for years." Blaine's voice wavered already, so Kurt reached out to grab his hand to ground him. "We decided to finally start the process, and it took so long, but it was worth it. We were so close to the final step when we separated. And that was that."

Kurt had a feeling that was _not_ that, but he let it go because a tear had escaped Blaine's eye, so he hugged him instead.

"Do you want to take a break from the questions? We can go for a walk instead," Kurt offered, but Blaine shook his head while he wiped at his cheek.

"No, it's good for me to talk about this with someone. I've been keeping it bottled up for a while now."

"Why haven't you talked to anyone about it?" Kurt implored.

Blaine gave him a shy smile. "There hasn't really been anyone I trusted enough to share it with."

If Kurt had not known yet that he was a goner, Blaine had just sealed his fate with those words.

**Fifteen: Accomplishment**

Blaine broke eye contact first, ready to move on. "Go ahead and ask the next question."

"All right. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?"

"This is going to sound extremely cheesy, but I honestly don't think my greatest accomplishment has happened yet."

Blaine seemed to be far off when he answered, leading Kurt to wonder if he was still thinking of raising a child.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of the things I've done so far, but I feel like there is something much bigger that's still to come."

"That's actually an amazing outlook, and you leave me speechless once again."

Blaine bumped kurt with his knee and gave a playful "stop it."

"You're making me rethink my answer," Kurt admitted, causing Blaine to gasp sarcastically. "I was going to say that it was a simple answer for me; landing my first leading role on Broadway is my greatest accomplishment. But then I realized how depressing that is, to think that the greatest thing I'll accomplish in life has already come and passed. Your view is much more positive."

"I think you'll still go on to do great things, Kurt. Don't you?"

"I suppose I'm starting to redefine what 'great things' are to me. I always measured success by the size of my role or the popularity of my blog or my place in my graduating class."

"And now?"

"Certain people and events are helping me figure out that I've had it all wrong this whole time. Maybe my greatest accomplishments are the people I've surrounded myself with and the relationships I've formed."

Blaine's responding smile reached the corners of his eyes.

**Sixteen: Value**

"Speaking of...the next question is 'what do you value most in a friendship?'"

Kurt swirled his drink in the cup. "Loyalty, I guess. I mean, I can't stand my two best friends most of the time, but since our freshman year in college, they've always been there for me. What about you?"

Blaine thought for a while. "Acceptance. I unfortunately put a lot of importance on what the people I love think of me. I need to know that my closest friends accept me and my choices. They can't try to change my mind and they have to let me make my own mistakes."

"You make mistakes?" Kurt feigned disbelief.

Blaine laughed. "Happens to the best of us."

They both sipped their drinks, peering over their cups at each other.

"I'm glad I'm getting to know you. I could use a friend around here," Kurt admitted.

"Where do the two friends you mentioned live?"

"Santana is out in LA now, and Rachel is in New York in a new show. I miss them like crazy."

Blaine's eyes were wide. "You can't mean Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry? The singer and the Broadway actress?"

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "Yeah, yeah, my girls are pretty awesome. I shouldn't mention then that I'm also good friends with Mercedes Jones…"

Blaine let out a low whistle. "I had no idea I was in the presence of someone with connections to pop royalty. High school Blaine would be a swooning mess right now."

Kurt pretended to pout. "You only like me because of who I know."

Blaine sat back and grinned. "No, that's definitely not why."

That seemed to satisfy Kurt. "What about your friends? Are any of them close by?"

"Oh yeah, most of them are still around Ohio. I went to high school with them," he clarified. "We're actually going out dancing this weekend if you want to come?"

Kurt noticed the hopeful nervousness in Blaine's voice. "But how will we answer our questions if we're out with a big group?" he teased.

"Consider it a bonus date."

"Oh, I do."

**Seventeen: Memory**

"Hey, this is a fun one," Kurt said, reading from the question list. "What is your most treasured memory?"

"Easy. It was the day I knew I'd chosen the right thing to do with my life. There was a little boy, about 9, in my after school music program. He was from an amazing family, but they were living in poverty. He wasn't doing well in classes and he hated coming to school. When he started coming to my program, he watched everyone playing with instruments with such a fascination, but wouldn't try anything himself. One day, he opened up to me about it. He was nervous to touch the instruments because he'd never had anything so nice in his life. I found out that he'd always wanted to play the piano, and once I convinced him to try it out, he was the best student I ever had. He soaked everything in, and made such quick progress. He told me that because of me, he _wanted_ to come to school."

Kurt had forgotten his coffee, completely engrossed in Blaine's story. "What happened when you left?"

Blaine bit his lip and looked embarrassed. "I wasn't sure if they'd find someone to take over the program, so I…" he mumbled the rest of the sentence into his cup.

"What was that?"

Blaine lifted his red face and repeated, "I donated my old keyboard and hired someone to continue his lessons for the next year."

Kurt just stared, his mouth slightly open.

"Um…" Blaine said awkwardly. "I—"

"You're phenomenal." Kurt sounded truly awed.

"It's nothing," he waved it off.

"Don't diminish your kindness."

"Sorry," Blaine said, blushing all over again. "Bad habit."

Kurt sat back, pursing his lips. "Damn it."

"What?" Blaine looked up.

"I was hoping you'd say your best memory was meeting me."

"Meh. Too soon to tell," Blaine deadpanned.

Kurt bumped Blaine's ankle with his and they giggled.

"So what is your best memory?"

"Hands down the day I moved to NYC. It was so significant to me, to know that I did it. I finally got out of Ohio. And yes, I recognize the irony of what I'm saying." He laughed humorlessly. "It just felt so big. Like my life was truly beginning. And I guess it did."

"I felt similarly about my move."

"It's so great to have someone to talk to who gets it."

"I've been waiting too long for that."

"The wait is over."

**Eighteen: Memory Pt. 2**

"This next question is pretty heavy. Should we take our drinks and head out for a walk?" Blaine asked, looking out the window at the sunshine that was calling to him.

"There's a park just down the block, we can head there?" Kurt suggested.

"Lead the way."

Kurt was the perfect gentleman, offering to hold his coffee while he put on his jacket, opening the door, and then holding out his arm for Blaine to link with his as they walked. It made Blaine feel so special.

"So what is this heavy question?"

"What is your most terrible memory?"

Kurt's sigh mixed with the wind and blew away. "It was the day my mom died. She'd been sick and getting sicker for so long that when my dad shipped me off to stay with my grandparents for a few days, I knew something bad was happening. As much as a kid can without being told, anyway. My dad's face when he came to pick me up was enough for me to figure it out. The memory is getting hazier as I get older, and I think that's the worst part of it all."

Blaine squeezed his arm. "You'll never forget her."

"Some days I still worry that I will."

"You can always tell me stories if you need to keep her memory alive."

Kurt gave Blaine one of his fathomless smiles.

"Thank you."

"Can I request a no-elaboration-clause again for my answer?"

"Of course," Kurt rushed to assure him.

"Okay." Blaine nodded and his mouth formed around the words like he was forcing them to come out. "My worst memory is getting the phone call that the adoption agency was rescinding my eligibility because of my changed domestic status after Luke and I separated."

It was easier to tell Kurt than he'd anticipated, and he found himself actually wanting to answer the questions Kurt was so obviously holding back.

"We had actually—" Blaine broke off, choked up. Kurt waited patiently, his arm in Blaine's a steady reminder that he had a new friend to confide in who wouldn't push him if he couldn't get it out. "We had actually met the kids. There was a little boy - Sammy - who was one of the brightest, most inquisitive kids I'd ever met. I was going to ask Luke if we could adopt him before everything went downhill. The kid had my heart. Still has my heart. Shit, I'm sorry." He hastily wiped the tears from his face.

"Don't be. You went through one hell of a loss. You're...I can tell you're meant to be a father. And when that time comes, you'll be incredible."

Blaine's heart swelled with pride.

"Thank you, Kurt. I really hope I have the chance."

**Nineteen: One Year**

They reached the park and decided on a paved path that disappeared into a row of trees. Blaine dabbed the lingering tears from the corners of his eyes and picked up the question sheet.

"Nineteen. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?"

"Well I sure as hell wouldn't want to die in Ohio," Kurt scoffed.

Having taken a sip at exactly the wrong time, Blaine almost choked on his drink. "Amen to that. Where would you rather be?" Blaine asked, and the answer suddenly felt very important. He had no interest in going back to the city where his life fell apart, and if that was Kurt's dream, he wasn't sure he could make things work between them.

"All of my dreams came true in New York. But I think I'm ready for something new. I loved the big city, so maybe I'll move out to LA with the girls or San Francisco with the gays. Or maybe I'll find a reason to go somewhere else." He smirked up at Blaine.

"San Francisco would be nice," Blaine said, returning the smile.

"What's your answer? What would you change?"

"Hey, you didn't finish answering the question!"

Kurt looked up, unimpressed. "Do I really need to explain why I don't want to die in Ohio?"

"Touché. So what would I change about my life? I'd stop dwelling on the past and start living."

"What kinds of things breathe life into you?"

"Music. Teaching. Making connections with amazing new people."

"Ah, so it seems you've already started living."

Blaine took in a shuddering breath to rid himself of the remains of emotion. "It only took listening to my mother."

"It's clear we should never doubt them again."

"You might not be saying that if you'd met my mother."

"Ha! Well at least her one moment of good judgment was reserved for this."

The smile Blaine gave Kurt made him melt into a puddle right there on the pavement.

**Twenty: Friendship**

Kurt swiped the question sheet from where it was already falling out of Blaine's hand. His grip had slackened as he looked Kurt over with affection and having it stolen from him made him straighten up and wipe the hearts from his eyes.

"What does friendship mean to you?" Kurt asked.

"Didn't we just answer this question?"

"That one was what we value most in friendship. This is what it means to us. Pay attention, Anderson!"

"Okay, okay." Blaine focused in. "A true friend is…"

"Someone who always stands up for you, even when they think you're wrong—"

"—But still call you out on it privately."

"Someone who doesn't think you're crazy when they come home at 2am and find you fallen asleep on piles of wedding magazines when you don't even have a boyfriend."

"Someone who will come with you to a first date and sit a few tables over watching for the signal one way or another."

"Wait wait wait, please tell me you didn't do that on our date."

Blaine shrugged, embarrassed. "It was my mother's idea. You could have been awful."

"Oh my god, you did!" Kurt laughed disbelievingly.

"I actually forgot to give him the go ahead to leave because I was—it slipped my mind, I guess." Blaine blushed.

"So he sat there watching us for two hours?"

"No, no! He said he left after the first ten minutes when he could tell—yeah."

Kurt's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You're having trouble finishing your sentences, huh?"

"I just don't want to make a fool of myself by saying too much." Blaine blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Kurt mimed zipping his lips in response, because he too, was in danger of saying too much.

**Twenty-One: Affection**

"What roles do love and affection play in your life?" Blaine asked.

"I'm the very independent, spontaneous type, and I'm proud that I haven't needed anyone to help me get where I am today. Does that stop me from wanting someone to share things with? No. Does that stop me from being so lonely I cry in the bathroom of a bar in a strange city? Nope. Love for me has taken more of a backseat in my life so far. I think when the right person comes along, that could change. Hopefully, anyway, because up until now, my independence has been 'too much' for most people.

"All that being said, the love I have for my close friends and family has always been steady and strong, and though I take it for granted sometimes, it's something I never have to question.

"As for affection...In twenty-six years, nobody has ever used the word 'warm' to describe Kurt Hummel. I think I show my affection in ways that others don't always expect or understand. That also makes me appreciate affection from others that might look different from the norm."

Blaine nodded in understanding. "Well I can see the love you have for your friends and parents when you talk about them. I don't think it has a backseat at all. And you're right, the right person for you could change it all. Some guys are looking for the independent, spontaneous type who can take care of them."

"Would _some guys_ drop everything to follow me to another city on a whim?"

Blaine pressed his lips together to stop from smiling. "They might be convinced."

"Tell me your answer," Kurt prompted when the bubbly feeling inside him ebbed.

"If you couldn't tell already, love and affection are at the forefront of everything I do. I think missing the love of my father has made me crave love in other places, which is why I have my heart so set on a family of my own.

"I've been told I'm ultra affectionate. Whether that's good or bad is up to the other person...I'm the guy who will make your lunch and leave a punny note in there. I can't help it, it's like a compulsion."

Kurt laughed, picturing it.

"That's cute."

Blaine's face fell. "Some guys don't agree. They might see it as smothering."

Kurt looped his arm back through Blaine's and tilted his head toward him. "Ah, but other guys might see it as loving and appreciative and downright adorable."

**Twenty-Two: Positive**

There was no time for Blaine to form a response because Kurt launched into the next question immediately.

"Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items." Kurt looked up. "Ooh, fun! You start."

"Uh…" Blaine searched for what to say.

Kurt extracted his arm from Blaine's and gave him a light smack on the shoulder. "You can't even think of one thing? I must be worse than I thought…" he joked.

"No, I…" Blaine blushed. "I'm having a hard time finding words to describe how wonderful you are."

Pink tinged Kurt's cheeks at the compliment, but he quickly recovered and rattled off the first three qualities that came to mind when he thought of Blaine. "Sweet. Charming. Endearing."

"That's three all at once! And I was supposed to go first!"

"Yeah well, you took too long."

"Okay, fine. I've got one," Blaine announced triumphantly.

"Good. Let's hear it."

"Punctual."

Kurt stared.

"Your turn."

"No. No way. That doesn't count."

"What? Why not?"

"Seriously, Blaine? _Punctual_?! I was hoping for 'sexy' or even 'a chilly exterior but a warm heart', but the first thing that pops into your head when you think of me is my timeliness. You need to go again."

Blaine rubbed his temples, thinking until he came up with the perfect word.

"Alluring."

"Thank god. Magnetic."

"Graceful."

"Benevolent."

"Strong."

"Attuned."

"Wise."

"Smooth."

"Beautiful," they spoke together.

They had stopped walking and were turned facing each other, gripping each other's forearms.

"I knew you had it in you," Kurt joked after a few seconds, jerking them out of the magic of the moment, yet something seemed changed forever.

**Twenty-Three: Childhood**

"Should we head back toward the coffee shop? We only have 2 questions left for this date."

In lieu of an answer, Kurt, having replaced his arm in Blaine's yet again, swung them around to walk in the opposite direction.

"Question twenty-three. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people's?"

"Our family was the closest and warmest I could have asked for. My mom and I were meant to be on the earth together. When she died, my dad did the best he could while grieving the loss of the love of his life, and we were all the other had until I was in middle school and started showing more of an interest in fashion and musical theater and less in sports and girls. I wouldn't say my childhood was happier than most other people's, for obvious reasons, but it was still a good one."

"I'm glad you have such good memories of her and your family together. She sounds like she was incredible."

"She was perfect. What is your answer?"

Blaine looked back down at the question and sighed. "I didn't realize it at the time, but my childhood kind of sucked. Everything that led up to my dad leaving, and then being abandoned by him...Just like your dad, my mom did the best she could. She made everything we did together feel special and tried to protect me from what was going on with them. That's probably why I didn't see until I was older just how toxic our household was.

"Sorry. God, I don't mean to complain about my parents' issues when your mom died when you were so young."

"Don't be." Kurt shook his head. "My trauma doesn't outweigh your trauma."

"Thanks. This has been a depressing question."

"I have a happier idea. Tell me how you imagine your son or daughter's childhood to be."

"Oh!" Blaine perked up and squeezed Kurt's arm tighter in excitement. "They'd have two loving dads, obviously."

"Obviously," Kurt agreed, unable to ward off Blaine's contagious happiness.

"We'd have waffle breakfasts together every Sunday and take dance lessons in the park. There would be movie nights on Fridays and heaps of holiday traditions. They'd know that I was always there for them and I'd be the one they turned to with any problems. We'd love each other more than anything in the world."

Kurt realized he'd been staring at Blaine as he spoke and shook off the spell Blaine had unknowingly cast on him.

"You're going to be the greatest father and your husband is going to be the luckiest man in the world."

**Twenty-Four: Mother**

Blaine hadn't gotten over Kurt's flattery (was it flirting?) when Kurt jumped in to their last question of the date.

"How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?"

"We can skip this question if you want," Blaine offered.

"It's okay, I like talking about her. Go ahead."

"I love my mom more than probably anyone else on this earth. I'm so glad our relationship has grown into what it is now that I'm an adult. There's a part of me that's her protector now, too, and it feels like I'm giving back to her what she gave me as a child."

"That's really sweet."

"I'm a mama's boy, what can I say?" Blaine grinned. "You go."

"I miss my mom, but even though she's been gone 20 years, I feel like I still have a strong relationship with her. I talk to her a lot, like some people talk to god, I think. Whenever I go to my dad for advice, he always tells me what he thinks my mom would have said. It's a nice way to keep her with us.

"And I love my stepmother, too. I couldn't have picked a better match for my dad at this stage in his life. I'm really happy with how things turned out."

"Do you ever think about how if you bring children into this world, or adopt them, they may never know their mother?"

"Sometimes, but my support system is so strong and includes a bunch of amazing women, so I know any child of mine would have plenty of female role models to turn to."

"That's a great perspective. I feel the same."

"So." Kurt fidgeted with a button on his sweater.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to continue on and have our third date?"

"Are you crazy?" Blaine laughed.

"I've been told that, yes."

"Of course I do."

They rounded a corner and could see the parking lot where they'd left their cars.

"Good. Then I'll see you soon. Back at the restaurant where we met?" Blaine nodded his assent. "Text me to let me know what day works. I'm open."

Blaine gave Kurt a hug, squeezing him tight and lingering just long enough for Kurt to never want to let go. "I will. But don't judge me if that text comes in about 10 minutes and I want to schedule for tomorrow night."

Kurt's breath of laughter tickled Blaine's ear. "I'll judge you for a million things, but not that. See you tomorrow."


	3. Set 3

**Twenty-Five: We**

The first to arrive at the restaurant the second time around was Blaine. He waited outside for Kurt instead of accepting the hostess's offer to seat him. That way, when Kurt showed up, Blaine could give him a proper hug like he'd been yearning to do since their last hug 48 hours before.

The hug didn't disappoint. Kurt gave the kind of soul-warming hugs that seemed to relax and heal. Blaine couldn't be blamed if he hung on a little longer than necessary every time.

When they were seated side by side in the booth, Blaine jumped right in, eager to get to the end of the questions and see what was next on their path as a couple — romantic or platonic, whatever best suited Kurt.

"Make three true 'we' statements each. For instance, 'We are both in this room feeling …'"

Kurt mulled over the question, biting the straw in the water glass that had been set down in front of him moments after they reached their booth.

"We both have a passion for music, we are both enjoying each other's company, and…" A waitress passed with a tray of steaming entrées for the neighboring table and their stomachs growled in unison. "And we are both starving."

Blaine chuckled. "I just realized I forgot to eat lunch today."

"Blasphemy."

Blaine held up his hands in defense. "Maybe I was a little distracted by the prospect of a date tonight with an insanely handsome man."

Kurt blushed and sighed. "I suppose I can absolve you of your sins then."

Blaine flashed an award-winning smile in triumph.

"Okay okay, my turn. Tell me if I'm wrong. We are both feeling a little nervous." Kurt nodded reluctantly. "We are both attracted to each other." Another nod. "We are both going to leave this date to call our best friends and squeal about each other, as we've done twice already."

"I want to deny that one."

"But?" Blaine prompted.

Kurt's hands suddenly seemed too small as he attempted to use them to cover his flushed face while he answered.

"But I can't."

**Twenty-Six: Share**

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Their waitress asked, approaching the table and smirking at the two men straightening up upon realizing they had company.

"Just water for me for now," Blaine answered. "We will order drinks in a little while."

"And I'll have a Diet Coke, please," Kurt said.

When she left, Kurt cleared his throat. "Complete this sentence: 'I wish I had someone with whom I could share …'"

They both sat lost in thought for a few moments until Blaine answered.

"I wish I had someone with whom I could share everything."

"How did I know that would be your answer?" Kurt asked with a kind laugh.

"I'm getting too predictable in my old age." Blaine pouted, causing Kurt to pat his arm soothingly.

"You're hardly old, and I'm sure you still have some surprises up your sleeve." Kurt said, throwing him a wink.

"You don't have to lie, I know I'm a boring, single guy."

"Au contraire, I'm finding you anything but boring. Predictable does not equal boring. You could murder someone at 7:00 am each day and that would be predictable, but certainly not boring."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "You got me there. So how would you answer the question?"

The silence precluding Kurt's answer stretched on so long that Blaine wondered if he'd heard the question. When he finally responded, Kurt's answer broke his heart.

"I wish I had someone with whom I could share anything."

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine said softly. He didn't resist the urge to take Kurt's soft hand in his.

"It's been so long since I've had a place to call home, and life on the road hasn't exactly provided the best circumstances to build a relationship. I've never admitted it aloud, but I would kill to go home at the end of the day and have someone there just to talk to. It sounds so lame, I know."

"No it doesn't, everyone deserves that. But remember, sometimes it's not a place you call home, but a person."

Kurt clutched their joined hands to his heart, realizing that Blaine was right. If he'd had someone to call each night while he was on tour, someone waiting for him to visit, it would have made all the difference in the world. "You're right. You're right an irritatingly large percentage of the time. You know that?"

"Not the first time I've heard that," Blaine said with a chuckle.

**Twenty-Seven: Important**

Blaine dropped Kurt's hand and turned away from him reluctantly to pull the paper with the questions in his direction.

"If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know."

"This question feels like cheating because it seems like we're already close friends, even though we've only known each other a short time." When he realized what he'd said, Kurt's panicked eyes darted up to Blaine to make sure he hadn't overassessed their growing relationship, and found Blaine nodding in agreement.

"It does, but you still have to answer. Tell me something I don't know yet."

"Oh, I know! I get really mean and unbearable when I'm exhausted. Like, stay so far out of my way I have to call a search party to find you."

"Wow. Noted. For the record, I can't imagine you being mean to me."

"I hope for your sake you never get to see it." He took a sip of his water. "What's something I should know about you?"

"Don't judge me."

"I make no promises," Kurt said, but smiled to let Blaine know he was joking.

"I'm very, extremely, debilitatingly afraid of the dark."

"How does a grown man end up afraid of the dark?"

"Stop judging!" Blaine kicked Kurt under the table.

"I'm trying! Help me understand!"

"Ever since I was little, my brother would turn off the lights at night time and jump out at me or chase me around. My defense was to drop to the ground into a ball and stay there until he eventually turned on the light. When the lights go out now, I freeze and curl up into that same little ball. It's an automatic reaction now."

"Do you sleep with a night light?" Kurt asked, teasing.

Blaine frowned and shook his head. "I'm not answering that."

"So you do."

Blaine aimed a few more kicks at Kurt, but Kurt caught his ankle with his feet and intertwined their legs.

**Twenty-Eight: Like**

"Thank goodness the next question will make you stop teasing me!" Blaine said with a fake frown, peeking ahead on the paper.

"Lucky break," Kurt said. "I wasn't really making fun of you, you know. I sleep with a night light too."

"You do?" Blaine looked skeptical. "Why?"

Kurt nodded. "I recently acquired a cat and I want her to be able to see at night if she has to go to the litter box."

"You know cats can see in the dark, right?"

"It's a common misconception," Kurt said, waving a hand. "They can see in light in which we can't, but in total darkness they can't see either."

"Thank you, Wikipedia."

"You're welcome. I am a wealth of useless knowledge." Kurt's ankle knocked against Blaine's affectionately. "On to the next question! Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met."

"Wow, okay…" Blaine squirmed a little, but his discomfort was disrupted by the waitress taking their orders. They both chose the nightly special again, a pecan-crusted halibut, and Kurt's attention was back on Blaine. "I don't want to freak you out."

"You won't. Most likely."

"Promise you'll stay through the end of the questions even if I do?"

"Promise."

Blaine took a deep breath before spilling what he'd so far held inside.

"I like that I could see you as my partner." His eyes didn't so much as flicker up to gauge Kurt's expression. "I like that I could see us as equals, supporting each other and learning together to give the other what they need."

He bit his tongue to refrain from sharing fantasies of the future with kids and a house and large family gatherings. Then he looked up. To his pleasure and surprise, Kurt was beaming.

"I like the same thing about you."

"How dare you steal my answer." Blaine tried to scold, but it came out sounding awed and breathless.

"Then how dare you steal my heart."

With the way his breath caught in his throat, even if Blaine had wanted to say something in return, he couldn't have.

**Twenty-Nine: Embarrassing**

It could have been thirty seconds or thirty years that Kurt and Blaine stared at each other in some sort of lovestruck daze.

Kurt was the one to look away and break the silence.

"Blaine. You have to let go of my hand now. It's going to fracture if you keep squeezing it like this. Also maybe close your mouth if you're going to keep staring at me."

Blaine jerked upright with a furious blush and tore his gaze away from Kurt, busying himself with finding question 29.

"Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life. Hmm. Can I say that moment from five seconds ago?"

"No need for that. You should know that I'm feeling the same things you are. I'm just better at...building fourteen foot walls all around me and not letting my emotions show."

"No need for that. But seriously, thank you. It helps to know I'm not the only one forcing my heart down into its rightful place and keeping my head from floating up into the clouds."

Kurt smiled and placed a quick kiss on Blaine's cheek. "Not by any means."

They both burned where lips had touched cheek, the fire on the surface matching the fire inside.

"So what's the embarrassing moment you want to share with me?"

"Easy. I had gone on a couple dates with this guy and I thought things were going well. We were watching TV on his couch one night, a few glasses of wine deep, and someone knocked on his door. It was his older sister and his mom. He made me hide in the closet. In. The. Closet. When they finally left almost an hour later, he apologized and told me he couldn't let them see me because they'd think I was his boyfriend. So I sensitively asked if he wasn't out to them yet, and he said the most embarrassing and cutting words I'll never forget. 'I am, but I want them to see me with a hot, strong, masculine guy.' And then he told me I should probably leave and that he'd call me later."

Blaine's mouth hung open for an entirely different reason than a few minutes prior. "He actually said that? What an ass!"

"And, get this, he called me the next day to hook up again. I told him to go fuck himself, of course."

"Wow. That's awful. I'm glad you can laugh about it now. But is he stupid?"

"Well yes, but why do you ask?"

"Because unless you've changed a ton since then, I don't see how he could think you're anything other than hot, strong, and masculine."

Kurt looked down coquettishly then smiled back up at him. "Blaine Anderson, charmer extraordinaire."

"I'm not trying." He shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Exactly." Kurt paused long enough to thank the waitress for bringing their food over. "Okay, Romeo. Your turn."

"One time I got in a cab to go from my dorm to a restaurant to meet a friend. I'm the kind of guy who chats with my drivers, so I was trying to strike up a conversation to ask her about her favorite places in the city, but she seemed a little tense and like she didn't really want to talk. When we got to the restaurant, I asked her how much the fare was and she said she didn't know. Turns out I'd hopped in a random car parked by the street and the poor lady was terrified and thought she was being human trafficked. Once she realized my mistake, I begged her to come to dinner with me and my friend, but she politely declined, and I completely understand why. It took me about a month to even think about getting in a cab again."

"Oh god," Kurt laughed, wiping away a tear. "You hijacked her car! I just can't imagine anyone being afraid of you. The thought is so funny!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Blaine drawled. He turned to his steaming plate to dig in while Kurt came down from his laugh session, but was unable to fight off a few laughs of his own.

"Are you good now?" Blaine asked a minute later when Kurt had settled down.

"Yes," Kurt started, but then began laughing again. "Wait, nope. I started thinking about it all over again!"

Blaine sighed on the outside, but on the inside he was doing a happy dance.

**Thirty: Cry**

"Okay, okay. I'm done. I think."

Blaine, clearly not believing him, raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Yep. I'm good. Here's question 30: When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?"

"I think the last time I cried in front of someone was probably you the other day. But before that, it must have been my mom when I was lamenting about Luke. By myself...I cried to myself at night a lot before I met you."

"What happened when you met me?" Kurt prompted, setting down his fork to give Blaine his full attention.

"I remembered that there are good things in this world," Blaine said simply, "and that I should start looking forward instead of back."

Kurt shivered at how deep Blaine's comment reached.

"What about you?"

"I just cried laughing at you."

"Doesn't count."

"I can't remember the last time I cried in front of someone. But I indulge myself quite often. I watch those awful homecoming videos of soldiers reuniting with their dogs or children."

"Oh, those always do me in as well. It's good to show your emotions, Kurt."

"I almost cried in front of you just a few minutes ago," Kurt admitted.

"Because you can feel how universe-shifting this connection between the two of us is and you can't believe fate brought us together like this?"

Kurt stroked his thumb across Blaine's cheekbone and gave him an adoring smile.

"No, at how good these mashed potatoes are."

**Thirty-One: Partner**

"At least now I know the way to your heart is through food," Blaine said, still laughing at the potato comment.

"Through food and cute guys in bow ties, apparently." Kurt grinned as he ran a finger along Blaine's polka dot patterned bow tie.

Blaine's eyes lingered on Kurt's striking profile before he took one last bite of asparagus and asked question 31.

"Tell your partner something that you like about them already." He looked up, brow furrowed. "I feel like we answered this question just a few minutes ago."

"We pretty much did, but I won't say no to hearing more nice things about myself."

"You have to tell me nice things too," Blaine said.

"Of course! I like that you're so open and vulnerable. I like that you clearly take care of yourself. I like that you put family first. I like that you listen when I talk. I like your eyes. And your jaw. And your mouth. I'm sure there's more of you I like too. Maybe I'll get the chance to find out." Kurt caught Blaine's eye and shot him a flirty wink.

Blaine took a sip of water to wet his dry mouth, but he still didn't seem to be able to make it work quite right.

"I...uh...yeah...you too."

"Do I need to give you a minute to get your brain under control?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

Blaine nodded dumbly and took a minute before he could form an intelligent sentence, let alone thought, again.

"Sorry about that. It's been a while since anyone even insinuated anything regarding themselves and my body."

"It probably won't be long until the next time."

"Stop that or I won't ever be able to answer the question."

Kurt held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I like how you make me feel confident and supported. I like that you're multi talented. I like that you've been through a lot of hard things and you are stronger and better for it. And of course, I too, like your...everything. Let's change the subject before things get really embarrassing."

"All right, all right." Kurt had a mischievous glint in his eye, though, and Blaine knew he hadn't heard the end of it. "Hey Blaine."

"What?" Blaine was wary, but a smile tugged at Kurt's lips, so he relaxed.

Kurt leaned nearer and put on his best bedroom voice. "You look really hot when you're all flustered. It makes me wonder what you'll look like when you're—"

"Okay, okay, stop!" Blaine shifted in his seat and adjusted his napkin. "You'll pay for this."

**Thirty-Two: Joke**

"I'll be waiting for that payback. In fact, I look forward to it," Kurt said, voice back to normal.

Blaine put on his best "diabolical planning" look.

"We're ridiculous. I really love that we can have fun like this and not have to worry about what the other person is thinking."

"Me too. We're a good match. My mother has said 'I told you so' at least six times a day since our first date."

"Carole too. I suppose we can let them gloat just this once." Kurt thanked the waitress who had just come back to clear their plates. "Next question: What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?"

"Like, aside from the normal stuff like racism, sexual assault, genocide, suicide, etc., right?"

"I thought that was a given, but I appreciate your nonjudgmental approach to checking in on that," Kurt said diplomatically.

"Besides those kinds of things, I usually feel that laughter helps heal. If we can find humor in difficult things, we can make them easier." Blaine shrugged and left his answer there.

"I agree most of the time. Sometimes, if we can't laugh about it, what can we do? Though I will say that I hate it when people joke about my voice. I have a lot of bad experiences centering around my voice and my appearance and bullying, and it's not something I can change about myself. It just feels very personal when people make fun of it."

"I think your voice is lovely. And clearly so have some casting directors if you were in shows."

"Thank you. I've come to accept and even appreciate my voice. It's unique and turns a lot of people away, but it's me."

"Will you sing for me someday?"

"If you're lucky. Until then, you can only guess at what I sound like."

"Joke's on you," Blaine teased. "I dug up bootlegs of some of your performances after our first date."

"Traitor!" Kurt cried in mock outrage.

"I just call it doing my research. Plus, you have nothing to worry about. I think you sound beautiful."

**Thirty-Three: Regret**

"Can I get you two some dessert?"

Both men eyed the featured picture on the dessert menu, gave each other a consultative look, then Blaine said, "we'd like to share the monster brownie sundae, please."

Kurt leaned back to stretch out. "I'm so full I really shouldn't want to eat half my body weight in brownie and ice cream, but I'm defenseless when it comes to dessert."

"I'll keep that in mind," Blaine said, and gave a flirty wink before he lost his nerve. "Here's our next question: if you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?"

"This is hard because I say what's on my mind most of the time. My dad and Carole know how much I love them, but I'd regret not telling them just how important they are to me and how their presence in my life has been the only steady thing for the last six years and it's kept me going through the tough times."

"Why haven't you told them yet?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's that weird thing with parents where you always say 'love you' and take it for granted that they know how much you appreciate them. I should do something nice for them, though, and tell them."

"I fully support that."

"What about you?"

After a sigh, Blaine answered. "I would regret not telling Luke that I forgive him and I'm working on not resenting him. For the longest time, I wasn't sure it was possible to move on, but as I've said, I'm starting to see things differently."

Kurt looked floored at the thought that he could have played even a small role in helping Blaine move on from his heartbreaking loss and betrayal.

"That's really amazing, Blaine," Kurt said in a quiet voice. "You're amazing."

**Thirty-Four: Fire**

Kurt realized that he had scooted so close to Blaine over the course of the past few questions that he was practically in his lap. He moved away with an embarrassed apology.

"I really didn't mind," Blaine told him shyly. "Being close to you is nice."

"I think so too," Kurt said, inching back over to Blaine, who placed a hand just above his knee and handed over the question paper.

"Next question," Kurt announced. "Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?"

"This question is really hard. Only one thing? Hmm…" Blaine mulled it over. "I think I would get the piano I grew up with. It was the one thing my dad used to support me in, and my mom and I would play together, so I have a lot of good memories with it. It's also the one thing I could do that my brother couldn't."

Kurt smiled dreamily. "That's nice. Maybe when we move out to San Francisco I can audition for some regional roles and you can accompany me."

"Oh, so we're set on this move to San Francisco now?" Blaine smirked. "Maybe I'll even write you an original song to audition with."

"Don't tease me like that," Kurt scolded. But when he realized Blaine wasn't joking, his eyes widened to twice their size. "You're serious? What a dream!"

"For both of us, really."

They held the other's gaze briefly before their waitress returned with their monster brownie sundae.

"Yum, thank you," Blaine said to her. Then to Kurt, "I don't know if we'll be able to finish this."

"You underestimate my abilities, Mr. Anderson," Kurt said before taking a massive spoonful of the dessert and shoveling it into his mouth.

"That is surprisingly attractive, honestly," Blaine said with a laugh before diving in himself.

When they'd eaten half of it, Kurt realized he hadn't finished answering the question yet.

"I would take my pillow."

"What?"

"From my burning house. I would take my pillow. I can't sleep well without it, ever, and the pillowcase used to be my mom's. It doesn't smell like her shampoo anymore, but it still is a comfort item."

"I love that."

Kurt, who had been nervous to share, lightly knocked his shoulder against Blaine's and took a delighted bite of brownie sundae.

**Thirty-Five: Disturbing**

"I don't think we should have done that," Blaine lamented, eyeing the all-but-licked-clean plate in front of them.

"I regret nothing."

"Guess you're rolling me to my car when we're done here."

"Oh!" Kurt exclaimed suddenly. "We got so caught up answering our questions that we forgot to finish out our drink ordering game."

A funny look crossed Blaine's face. "Do you want to order now?"

"Only if you really want to. I'm kind of dying to get out of here with you."

Kurt could tell Blaine agreed by his visible swoon.

Feeling a little more urgency and no need for further discussion, they tracked down their waitress for the check and headed out to the parking lot, even though they still had 2 questions to answer.

Kurt jumped in the passenger seat of Blaine's car and started making all sorts of adjustments to the position and recline, garnering an amused look from Blaine.

"What? Comfort is important to me." Kurt shrugged.

"Fine, fine. Ready for the next question?" Kurt nodded. "Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?"

"Why is this a question? There are so many things that could go wrong here."

"Seriously. Do it anyway."

Kurt laughed. "Okay. My dad, 100%. I've already lost my mom and my step brother. It would destroy me. Simple as that. But that's not to say I wouldn't care if Carole died, or my grandparents or anything. Anyway. Your turn to pick who you love the most."

"Ha, ha. See, I would say my mother, because of obvious reasons, but maybe my dad's death would be the most disturbing. There is a lot of uncleared air between us, and a ton of resentment. There have been times I said I wished he was dead. So I'd surely find a way to blame myself."

"I could see how that would be upsetting."

"But now I feel bad for not saying my mom."

"I told you, problematic question."

Kurt could tell Blaine was actually fretting over his answer.

"Don't worry, Blaine. I see your good heart and so does the universe. You don't need to justify yourself to either of us."

Blaine reached over to take Kurt's hand in gratitude.

**Thirty-Six: Problem**

"This is the last one. Can you believe we're almost done?"

"It seems like it's taken forever and no time at all, all at once." Blaine tried to play it cool and not show his nerves, but Kurt saw through it immediately.

"What are you nervous for?"

"And to think I was just thanking fate for helping me find someone who could see the true me."

"Sorry, it's all or nothing," Kurt said with an easy laugh. He traced patterns on the palm of Blaine's hand.

"I'm nervous for the questions to be over. I don't want it to be the end of this."

Even though Blaine didn't look up from their joined hands, Kurt knew he wasn't just talking about their date.

"I don't think you need to worry about that."

Blaine's shoulders dropped an inch in relief and he looked up with a crooked smile.

"Thank goodness. Hit me with the last one."

"Share a personal problem and ask your partner's advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen."

"Oh, have I got problems!" Blaine joked. "Here's one for you: my mother is so happy that I'm living back at home, but I'm dying to get out. I love her dearly. There's just a reason adults don't live with their moms. How do I break it to her that I want to move out?"

"It would help if you had a good reason for moving out and a plan. That would be less likely to hurt her feelings."

"Okay, but I don't have either of those things."

Kurt sat up straighter and looked hesitantly at Blaine. "So this has a lot of implications that I don't even want to think about unpacking...just take it for what it is. I'm actually looking for a roommate."

"Oh god, that would solve the problem for sure. She'd be over the moon if I said I was going to live with you." Blaine's grin soothed Kurt's apprehension.

"It could also create a hundred new problems," Kurt said, and Blaine nodded in understanding. "The offer is on the table, but I understand if you turn it down. This is good and I wouldn't want to ruin it."

"I agree. I'll think about it. Thanks. What's your problem?"

"Oh," Kurt began. He dropped Blaine's hand and looked directly at him. "There's just this guy I've gone on a few dates with and I'm really taken with him. He shared with me that he's ready to settle down and become a husband and a father. I want to tell him that I would absolutely love to give that to him someday, but I don't know if that's moving too quickly. What if he doesn't like me as much as I do him? Which, admittedly, is a lot. What should I do?"

Kurt watched as the stunned wonder faded from Blaine's expression and a beaming happiness took over.

"Follow your instincts. Speaking as a guy, anyone would be crazy not to want to be with you. And speaking as _the_ guy, there's absolutely no chance he doesn't like you as much as you like him."

"Thank god," Kurt breathed.

**Bonus: Eyes**

"I think we have to do the eye thing now," Blaine whispered.

"What eye thing?"

"Stare into each other's eyes uninterrupted."

"Okay fine," Kurt huffed. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his hands off Blaine. "How long?"

"I think four minutes."

"Yeah right."

"Show some respect to the process that brought us together, Kurt."

"Okay, Google, set a timer for 4 minutes. Starting now."

They were supposed to be looking. Just looking, no touching. But less than 20 seconds in and the tips of Blaine's fingers lightly brushed Kurt's waist and crept slowly up his side until they were against his neck, begging to sweep through his hair.

Every nerve ending was on fire, the build up from the past two weeks and their two dates making each touch feel like Kurt's first ever. The intimacy created by the questions, and by baring their souls to each other, left Kurt's heart wide open and his body eagerly accepting Blaine's caresses.

Kurt's fingers itched to do the same, and he slowly explored Blaine's jawline, discovering the contrasting textures of smooth skin and scratchy stubble. They then found the soft warmth of Blaine's neck, and Blaine shivered at the touch.

Kurt knew they were nowhere near the four minute mark.

"Sorry, process," he muttered.

There was only fierce longing and endless, victorious happiness in the way Kurt captured Blaine's face with both hands and kissed him senseless.

When the timer went off three minutes later, Blaine, who had somehow ended up on Kurt's lap, broke away with gasping breaths and leaned his head on Kurt's with a giggle.

"I want to do this with you," Blaine announced.

"I want to do this with you, too."

"If we thought our mothers were bad after our first two dates, imagine how they'll be when we tell them we're boyfriends."

"Yeah?" Kurt asked coyly.

"Yeah, if that's what you want."

"I don't think I've ever wanted anything more."

Blaine initiated the second kiss, having just recovered from the first.

"Want to come to my place tonight?" He asked mid-makeout.

"No," Kurt said, then before Blaine's heart could break, he added, "you live with your parents."

They dissolved into laughter, which really did nothing for calming their desire, and after another heated kiss, Kurt insisted Blaine go home with him, instead.

"Yes. A million times yes."

Later that night, over a mostly eaten charcuterie board and a bottle of wine with just a few drops left untasted, Kurt asked, "Do you think we would have ended up together like this without the questions?"

Blaine snuggled into Kurt's chest and sighed contentedly, knowing he'd have found Kurt across a thousand lifetimes. "Without a doubt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to the namesake article:www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/style/modern-love-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-do-this.html


End file.
